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AWARD A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT TO TAKEFORM FOR THE PARKING SIGNAGE AND WAY-FINDING PROJECT
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council approve a motion to:
1. Award a Professional Services Agreement not-to-exceed $250,000, between the City and Takeform for the design development, fabrication, and installation of a signage and way-finding project for the City’s Parking Operation.
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute the Agreement (Attachment A).
3. Authorize the City Manager to take appropriate actions to carry out the purpose and intent of this motion.
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Summary
The Parking Operation needs a new signage and way-finding program that will help customers identify City parking facilities and options. With five major garages and eleven surface parking lots, the City has sufficient parking for visitors, businesses, and residents of the downtown; however, finding such parking is not obvious. Therefore, the City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to find a turn-key solution to provide design of signage and way-finding parking plan, including fabrication and installation of the signage. Takeform was selected to provide the necessary services for the signage and way-finding project.
DISCUSSION
Background
While there are nearly 5,300 off-street parking spaces around the City’s downtown area, accompanied by another 1,700+ on-street spaces, few are well marked. Updating and creating a cohesive signage and way-finding parking program is needed to help visitors to downtown find parking and maneuver to their desired destination.
The bankruptcy plan of adjustment required the formation of a Parking Authority and an independent review of the current parking operation and facilities. The deficiencies in parking signage were identified in a comprehensive consultant’s review of the Parking operation in 2015, causing the City Council to appropriate project funding through the 2016/17 Capital Improvement Process (CIP) process. The Parking Authority Advisory Board, made up of property owners of the downtown unanimously supported the need and use of funding for such project.
Present Situation
An RFP was issued for design, fabrication, and installation services for a Parking Signage and Wayfinding Program in mid-October 2017. In addition to the City’s standard RFP listing, the document was also listed on the websites of both the International Parking Institute (IPI) and the California Public Parking Association (CPPA). Six responsive proposals were received by the mid-November deadline. A selection panel made up of City staff, local businesses, and agency officials reviewed the proposals and selected the top three firms to invite for interview. Two of the three selected firms chose to proceed with the interview phase. One company declined to move forward given the budgetary parameter of the project. Takeform was selected following the interview process based on its approach to the project, experience in like projects, ability to provide design and fabrication services in-house which added value and efficiency, and its inspection and warranty provisions spanning five years post installation.
This project will provide a comprehensive plan for the parking signage program to be used for strategic signage investments moving forward. The plan will provide for signage internal and external to parking facilities, both identifying locations within the facility as well as directing drivers to the parking facilities, themselves. Garages will gain an identity from the street and will be accented with markers that allow a parking customer to easily identify which level they parked on. For the first-time visitor and parking customer, the goal is ease and clarity in where to find and how to use city parking facilities. Whether through symbol or color, a consistent theme is envisioned for all garages, so that residents and repeat visitors begin to recognize parking locations based on signage and markings. Signage will be present in all lots, identifying parking type, cost, and location. Signage will be placed at parking facility exits to help direct parkers to typical points of interest. In anticipation of changes pending to the street parking in Downtown Stockton, new informational, directional, and payment signage for the street program is also included in this project.
Descriptions and maps of the Parking operation will be developed through this project and will be placed on the Parking website hosted by our Parking Operator, SP+. In addition to bringing clarity to the operation of the parking program, the overall goal of the project is to give parking a recognizable identity.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Sufficient funds are available in the CIP Project (ED4181) Parking Signage Project, to cover the not-to-exceed amount of $250,000. The proposed agreement limits the amount that can be spent on design services to 25% of the total, leaving the remaining funding for fabrication and installation of the signage itself. Current funding is sufficient to provide a full signage plan as well as fabrication and installation of a base signage program. As downtown continues to grow, signage beyond the base level may be desired. The not-to-exceed amount of the agreement will allow the Parking program to obtain as much signage as possible within the specified budget. Additionally, the agreement will lock in signage pricing for five years, allowing future signage to be added as funding is identified. At the completion of this project, there will be a cohesive signage program directing parkers where to find, identify, and pay for parking both in the parking facilities and on the streets.
Attachment A - Agreement Takeform Parking Signage and Wayfinding PSA 2018